Acculturation Scales in Hispanics

12345 Words50 Pages
Chapter 2 Hispanics Overview The Hispanic population in 2008 included 45.5 million (15.1%) of the estimated US population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). Hispanics represent the largest and fastest growing minority group. Hispanics come from more than 20 countries sharing a common language. The three largest ethnic identity groups of Hispanics in the United States are Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban. Hispanics, with a median age of 27.6 years, are younger than the general population as a whole at 36.6 years. Hispanics may be of any race. In 2007, most Hispanics described themselves as White while a substantial number reported some other race (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). With the rapid increase of Hispanic groups entering the United States and interacting with the mainstream culture, the issues associated with acculturation are very relevant. While some individuals retain the language, behaviors, and values close to their culture of origin, others identify strongly with the values and standards of the mainstream culture. Most research on Hispanic Americans has focused on these acculturation processes. However, little attention has been paid to how the contextual factors such as immigration context, individual factors, and settlement affect the acculturation experience of Hispanic Americans (Cabassa, 2003). Further, a large number of studies have examined the relationship between psychosocial variables and acculturation. A few have focused on how the perceived discrimination and racism among Hispanic Americans related to the acculturation process. In our review of measures, we did not find any measure that specifically focuses on race-related relationships between Hispanics and other minority groups or between Hispanics and members of the majority group. Therefore, this section will focus solely on intra-group measures that assess acculturation among Hispanic

More about Acculturation Scales in Hispanics

Open Document